Guest Guide - Using eCamm

Welcome to the show!

We’re excited to have you as a guest on The Retirement Café podcast and want to ensure that you have the best possible experience.

Please follow these setup and preparation steps to make sure you look, sound, and feel your best when you’re on the show. Remember, we capture video as well as audio to share on our YouTube channel.

Getting started

Please check off these steps as you prepare for your upcoming interview:

  • Find a quiet place away from distractions

  • Make sure your computer is plugged in

  • Connect, set-up and test all your gear (Camera, microphone, sound)

  • Check your internet connection. Go to https://www.speedtest.net/ and run a test (you’re looking for upload speeds of above 5mbps)

  • Check your privacy settings to ensure that your internet browser (e.g. Google Chrome) has permission to access your camera, microphone and screen sharing

  • On the day, remember to turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ and close all other applications and tools

What you will need

1.    Internet

  • Wired if possible

2.    Microphone

  • We highly recommend using a microphone that you connect via USB. Plug this in before connecting to Ecamm.

  • Alternatively, your computer’s microphone should work fine

 3.    Headphones or a headset

  • This is a must; it helps to remove any echo and improve the overall audio quality.

  • Wearing headphones with a dedicated microphone, such as iPhone headphones, works well.

4.    Lighting

  • Ensure any natural light is coming onto your face instead of shining behind you.

  • If you have one light, position it at an arm’s length in front of you

 5.    Camera

  • This can be the webcam built into your computer

  • Have your computer at head height, so that we can see you face-on instead of looking up your nose or over the top of your head!

How to join the interview

We use Ecamm software to record our interviews so you will be joining the interview via a web browser. You will enter Ecamm Live’s Interview Mode (don’t worry, you won’t be live – all interviews are pre-recorded).

You’ll receive a link. Simply click the link or copy and paste it into your browser of choice. We recommend Google Chrome or Firefox.

Please make sure you’ve provided camera, microphone, and screen recording access to your browser of choice in advance of joining the call. You’ll find this in your computer’s system preferences > security & privacy settings.

What to do next – Ecamm’s interview mode

When you first join the interview, you’ll see this window pop up.

Please select your camera and microphone and provide your name before you hit the “join” button.

Double check that you have notifications turned off, everything is plugged in correctly, and you’re wearing your headphones.

Please note: the images you see in the Ecamm Live Greenroom are a preview feed and not representative of the final broadcast quality.

Recording the interview

Interviews for The Retirement Café podcast are designed to be relaxed and fairly informal. We treat them like a chat over a cup of coffee in The Retirement Café.

If you stumble over your words or say something you want removed from the episode, that’s no problem, as we have time to edit before publication. Just let Justin know at the time!

It’s best not to write a script or prepare answers, as we want you to sound as natural as possible.

The interview should take around 20-30 minutes, and we’re always happy to go for longer if you’ve got more to say!

Links and promotions

At the end of the interview, Justin will ask you where listeners can find out more about you and your work. Please feel free to plug two or three links here i.e. books, websites, social media profiles.

We will include your links in the show notes for your episode, so listeners can find them easily.

Any questions?

Hopefully that all makes sense but do drop one of the team an email or call us on 01425 279212 if you have any questions.